Understanding Disclosure Documents - UndervaluedEquity.com

Understanding Disclosure Documents
Document	What you’ll find	When it must be filed	What else you should know
Annual information form (AIF)	Detailed information about a company’s: corporate structure directors and officers capital structure strategy products, services and businesses legal proceedings risks	Annually	Investors do not have to be given a copy of the AIF, but it can be found on www.sedar.com. Not all companies are required to file an AIF. For example, a company listed on the TSX-V is not required to file an AIF.
Financial statements	A report of a company’s financial information, made up of: income statement cash flow statement balance sheet statement of retained earnings notes audit report (for annual financial statements)	Quarterly and annually	The financial statements, together with the MD&A, can tell you how well the company has performed and the factors that influence its financial ability to perform well in the future.
> Income statement	How much a company has earned and its expenses for a set period		This does not necessarily reflect the company’s inflows and outflows of cash. Also known as an earnings report, statement of earnings, statement of operations and statement of profit and loss.
> Cash flow statement	How money flows in and out of the business from its operating, investing and financing activities.		How a company manages its money can say a lot about its ability to withstand market changes or unexpected events.
> Balance sheet	A snapshot of the net worth of a company at a point in time. It shows the company’s assets, liabilities and shareholders’ equity.		Also known as the statement of financial position.
> Notes	How a company arrived at the numbers in its financial statements and any significant events and conditions that may affect the numbers. For example, a note may explain that a company’s accounting methods have changed from the previous year, decribe transactions with companies or individuals related to the company, or disclose a purchase that may have an effect on the company’s financial condition.		Notes are a critical part of the financial statements and shouldn’t be ignored. The accounting policies a company uses can significantly affects its numbers. For example, the method used for revenue recognition will influence the numbers bin a company’s finacial statements.
Insider trading reports	Which insiders of the company are buying and selling the company’s shares.	In general, within 10 calendar days after a trade or change in an insider’s holdings of a company.	Directors, officers and major shareholders are considered “insiders” of a company.
Management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A)	Management’s explanation of events affecting the company’s performance and management’s expectations for the coming year. An useful and informative MD&A should offer insight into five key areas: the company’s vision and long-term business strategy the factors that will affect its success its resources and capability to deliver results current results future risks	Quarterly and annually	The MD&A and financial statements are filed at the same time. If the company does not file a management information circular, the MD&A may also contain information about the board of directors, committees and corporate governance pratices.
Management information circular	Information about the shareholder meeting, voting process, items to be voted on or covered at the meeting, and compensation of directors and officers. It may contain other information such as committee reports and covernance practices.	When shareholders elect the board of directors or are asked to vote on significant transactions proposed by a company.	This is sent to shareholders so they can make an informed decision about voting their shares and other items covered at the shareholder meeting.
Material change report	Details about any material change in the company’s operations or capital that is expected to significantly affect the price of its securities, once it becomes known to the public. Examples of material changes may include take-over bids, selling or acquiring business units, management changes and new products.	Within 10 days of the material change.	It’s up to the company and its management to decide whether a change is material.
News release	A public statement from the company about a material change that might influence whether investors buy, hold or sell their investment.	Companies must issue press releases disclosing material changes promptly.	The news release is usually filed before the material change report. Companies may also issue news releases about topics other than material changes. These may be found on the company’s website. Read news releases carefully. The news release is management’s view and you should compare or verify the information with other sources. Be on guard against e-mailed or faxed ”news releases” from dishonest stock promoters or individuals trying to stir up interest in a company or overstate its achievements.
Prospectus	Material facts relating to the securities a company is planning to offer to the public, including: a history of the company and a description of its operations a description of the securities being offered a list of directors and officers financial statements a summary of the major risk factors affecting the company how the company will spend the money it raises by issuing the securities	Before the company issues shares or other securities to the public.	This must be given to everyone who buys the security. A company may file a “long form” or “short form” prospectus. A long form prospectus contains information about the company and the new securities issue in one document. A short form prospectus gives investors important highlights about the new securities issue. It provides a list of disclosure documents filed on SEDAR that form part of the prospectus but are not included in it. Although prospectuses must be filed with the OSC, we do not assess the merit of the investment opportunity or the accuracy of the information. Some securities can be sold without a prospectus. These are called “exempt securities”. If you buy an exempt security, you may not have the same legal rights as you do when you buy securities under a prospectus.

Note: In this report I have integrated the exact content of the original source, to be certain that this information is retained. If you would like to read this report on the website of the original publisher I recommend you to click the source link below.

Source: http://www.osc.gov.on.ca/documents/en/Investors/res_research-invest_en.pdf

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